Open Studio on FeltUnited Day - October 1st

Open Studio on FeltUnited Day!
Saturday, October 1, 2011
The public is invited to my studio to make some felt on Saturday, October 1, from 1-4 p.m.
2157 River Oaks Circle, Mora, MN 55051

This event is part of a grant project put on by the Mora Comprehensive Arts Project Planning committee.  It involves six area artists working in photography, painting, collage, pottery, metal and of course, FELT.

The six artists opened their studios to children in August and then to the public this fall.  The goal is to create art at each studio that will be integrated into a collaborative piece.  The overriding theme of the project is nature -- trees, and leaves. So we'll be making felt leaves, twigs and flowers at my studio. 

In keeping with the FeltUnited theme for 2011, we’ll be using red, blue, and purple fiber.  Come and be part of a local collaborative work and part of a worldwide celebration of felt all at the same time!

*This activity is funded in part by a grant from the East Central Regional Arts Council with funds provided by the Minnesota arts and cultural heritage fund as appropriated by the Minnesota State Legislature with money from the vote of the people of Minnesota on November 4, 2008.

Lincoln Fleece & other stuff

I finally got a good sized felting project done last night!  Linda from Wisconsin sent me a 15 pound raw Lincoln fleece last week as part of a trade for a BFL ram lamb.  I couldn’t wait to felt it!  I skirted away about half so it would fit on my pool cover/bubble wrap which is 40“ x 8‘ long -- and because wool gets really heavy when wet.

This was a heavy project, but I didn’t even use my felt rolling machine. It was all done with elbow grease and hot soapy water.  The finished size is 62” x 33”.  It’s still quite damp and heavy.  I hope it lightens up enough to be a blanket.  The Lincoln fleece is coarser than the other breeds I've felted, but it's so lustrous and those locks are so thick they remind me of pasta.

Stan spent almost two weeks in the hospital dealing with severe side effects of chemotherapy.  He’s home again now and feeling pretty good. He was very sick when they admitted him, it’s such a relief to see him doing better again. His oncologist is mulling over what chemotherapy drugs to try next.  The good news was that there was no progression of the cancer while Stan was on the previous regimen of three chemo drugs, the bad news was that there was not much change in the tumors.

With the help of my son, his friend and a good neighbor, I’ve got about 175 bales put away for winter, plus we still have about 50 from last year. My flock is down to 11 sheep, so hopefully we won't need to buy much more.  A storm rolled in along with some dramatic skies as we unloaded the hay rack.  When we left we realized were being watched over.

I am signed up to attend the judges seminar on th 9th at Wisconsin Sheep and Wool Festival, but I’m hoping that Rayna will be able to transport my BFLs to Linda and attend the class in my place.  There are just so many things going on these days!  Our art group has a show at the Pine Center for the arts and the opening reception is on the 9th.  More info on the KCAA blog.  I’ll be demonstrating felting on the 10th here in Mora at the Kanabec History Center. 

Also on display at the History Center will be a show of work created in or after the Carbonetti watercolor workshop we had in May.  Oh and several felt birdhouses are hanging in trees on the grounds. It’s about time to take them down and clean them out for winter.

Well, I'm off to pick up some fertile eggs for my broody Buff Chantecler.  This is her third time broody this year! I sold my last Buff Chantecler roosters and am waiting on a 3 month old chick to start taking over the roosterly duties.

Enjoy the Labor Day holiday to all my American friends, we're heading down to see Stan's family this afternoon and I hope to run over the Hopkins Center for the Arts Salon 300 show too. I've got a piece in that show. :-)